Squirrel Face

Harvest!

2010-09-02T22:41:00.003-04:00

We miss you André.

2010-08-31T16:32:00.002-04:00

I'm in love with a little man named Augie.

2010-08-24T22:34:00.002-04:00

I had the most joyful shoot with 10 month old Augie and his mama Michelle. I didn't want it to end. He loved the camera and the camera loved him. A match made in heaven.

Flowers of the sun

2010-08-20T00:26:00.003-04:00

Cottage

2010-08-18T23:34:00.007-04:00

Birthday dinners are the best!

2010-08-13T11:18:00.011-04:00

Olivia's At Fifty Three. Go there. You won't regret it. Romantic, cozy, inviting, outstanding service, and food that is beautifully prepared and presented. Sixteen Hour Braised Short Ribs, need I say more? Plus, it's a microwinery! We got a bottle of the best Malbec I've ever drank that left us both speechless. And sadly, only 11 bottles are left. Must...go...back.

Love this wrapping paper.

And his face.

You know you've had a good time when the last photo of the night turns out like this:

Feliz Cumpleaños para mi.

2010-08-10T23:24:00.009-04:00

I think I want to spend my birthday this way every year. Not too shabby. It was such a special experience to be at the Elmwood Spa allllll day. I will never forget it. Water therapies, fancy lunch, massage, facial, pedicure and complete relaxation. I was floating and blissed out for days. All thanks to the best boyfriend on the planet.

Delicious 3-Course complimentary(!!!) birthday lunch. And you can wear your robe! Heavenly.

Caesar Salad with double smoked bacon and herb croutons

Pan Seared Tilapia, warm tomato & asparagus goat cheese salad with balsamic reduction.

Mango sorbet & fresh fruit

They're baaaack!

2010-08-08T21:55:00.004-04:00

The Feuerwerk, Debarao, Lemon Boy and Grape tomatoes are ready and this lady is beyond happy about that. Let the gorging begin! Can't wait for the other three heirloom plants to start ripening. They're soooo close.

The very first Feuerwerk of the season. Note the 7 feet tomato plants in the background!

Tomato + Basil sandwiches = pure and utter bliss

A face (and attitude) only a mother could love.

2010-07-24T23:57:00.007-04:00

Seriously.

Picnic in the park

2010-07-08T23:13:00.004-04:00

I love Trinity Bellwoods park.
I love spontaneous summer picnics.
I love prosecco with strawberries.
And I love my friends.

More pics from the Creepin' Chester show in Hamilton!

2010-07-02T12:06:00.007-04:00

Whatta man whatta man, whatta mighty good man.

2010-06-25T23:44:00.005-04:00

SOOOOO happy I finally got to see Jean play live with his former band, Creepin' Chester. They rocked Hamilton a few weeks ago at The Corktown. Such a fun time!! I swooned a whole lot and was giddy like a schoolgirl. More pics to come, but the first one is my fave.

Will Feral & the radishes.

2010-06-21T19:03:00.010-04:00

We are now the (somewhat) proud parents of a very feral cat. We've been calling him a bunch of things, but mostly Simon, Will Feral, and Chicken. Perfectly decent names. He showed up in our yard a few weeks ago and hasn't really left except for his nightly prowls. I'm a sucker for strays, so I'm feeding him regularly, making sure he's well hydrated and having him neutered next week. He's shy, cranky, and extremely hissy, but I can't seem to get enough of the little fellow. There's plenty of room and shady spots for him in the yard and he keeps the mice away and the finches have stopped eating the spinach. Bonus! Plus, he always photobombs my garden shots, which is kind of adorable.

Toronto Cat Rescue has been a great source of information and advice. If you want to help them by sponsoring a rescued cat click here.

Eating outside on warm nights makes me one happy lady.

2010-06-14T16:19:00.006-04:00

POST NO BILLS

2010-05-31T17:39:00.003-04:00

Some people in the city are so clever. This made me smile.

Another beautiful hike in Kleinburg.

2010-05-22T23:33:00.006-04:00

Dear Photoshop, you've done it again.

2010-05-05T22:27:00.002-04:00

So excited for Content Aware!

Treme

2010-04-17T15:36:00.013-04:00

I love this show! So do a lot of people. HBO immediately renewed it for a second season after the first episode aired. It's about life in New Orleans three months after Hurricane Katrina. It's heartbreaking, incredibly written, full of deep, complex characters brought to life by a talented cast and it's shot beautifully. And then there's the gorgeous music. I mean, what more could you want in a tv show? David Simon has done it again. Just when I was thinking of revisiting The Wire, along came Treme. Salon's Heather Havrilesky summed it up perfectly, "Treme is a true gift, a way to finally appreciate and embrace one of our most beloved but neglected cities."

Treme had me at the opening credits. Sooo good! I'm humming that song all the time. Click to enlarge.

I'm so happy I got to visit New Orleans in 2007 and finally understand what draws people to the energy, vibrancy and magic of that city. It's truly unlike anywhere I've ever been. The people, the music, the history, the culture, the food...wow.

Walking through abandoned houses, seeing fragments of people's lives and memories covered in mold, grime and dirty water, witnessing the immense devastation, talking to people who are trying to rebuild their lives and stay positive; all of it was so powerful. I remember crying while taking pictures, wondering how and why it's taken so damn long to clean up. And I remember feeling really, really angry.

New Orleans still needs help. A lot of it. Here's how:

Make it Right: http://www.makeitrightnola.org/
Habitat for Humanity, NOLA: http://www.habitat-nola.org/
Musicians Village: http://www.nolamusiciansvillage.org/
Global Green: http://www.globalgreen.org/neworleans/

From the series Notice, 2007, New Orleans.

Playa Ensenachos and Playa Megano

2010-04-15T15:18:00.018-04:00

Ahhh, those two beautiful beaches, etched in my mind. I'd like to go back right about now.

Walking to the beach, checking out the palapas under construction.

The boardwalk through mangroves to the beach.

Jean Cousteau has found something...

...and that something is a starfish!

I love this pic of pink seaweed that Jean took.

Reading a great book on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean is bliss.

Tide pool.

Cue the food pics!

2010-04-12T11:01:00.010-04:00

So it turns out, despite what I've read and heard, the food in Cuba ain't so bad after all. The simple meals are the most enjoyable, when the flavours can really come through and aren't distracted by smoke and mirrors (see Asain restaurant photos). I think we lucked out at the resort because there were so many options, the food was fresh, never had to eat at the buffet for dinner, and we mostly stuck to seafood.

Out of the four restaurants at the resort, the Cuban Creole restaurant was by far my favourite. Simple food, full of flavour and cooked with love. And the staff were amazing. They gave me mini Spanish lessons, so helpful!

My favourite meal! Fried whole red snapper, rice and beans, grilled zucchini and peppers, garnished with crispy plantains. Home run. Brought me to my knees.

Fresh fruit for dessert. I could eat guava all day long.

Same Cuban restaurant, different night. Second favourite meal. Lobster in a white wine, butter and garlic sauce with grilled eggplant, peppers and potatoes. Sooooo good.

Buffet breakfast, not too shabby. Again with the yummy guava.

Surf and turf at The Grill restaurant. Tragic melted cheese covering the (otherwise tasty) surf and a sad sauce smothered on the (otherwise tasty) turf.

Jean trying to figure out how to remove aforementioned tragic cheese.

The "Asian" restaurant was a bit of a bust. When incredible sushi is readily available in Toronto, the standards are pretty high. And it just feels wrong to eat sushi with a knife and fork. Don't even get me started on the cream cheese. Shiver.

They called this chicken teriyaki but it really wasn't. The chicken took a seriously long time to chew, which was actually really funny. But when the bottles of vino and champagne are flowing...who cares?! It's alllll good.

Red snapper ceviche with a balsamic glaze.

Lobster again, cause when in Rome...

Went to a restaurant in the city of Santa Clara one afternoon. We were curious what the tortilla con jamon y huevos would be like but when it arrived we were confused. Not anything like the tortillas in Mexico. Small cubes of ham on scrambled eggs with toasted white bread. Very bland and boring. Not so much a tortilla at all really.

Hamburguesa, mojitos, Beck's, Lonely Planet and people watching.

This meal was so nice, I ordered it twice. Perfect for dinner on the last night.

The wonderful Ariel y Juan at Cuban Creole on our last night, closing down the house. He sent us on our way with happy bellies and a bottle of bubbly.

Feet series

2010-04-11T00:01:00.002-04:00

Above image is Jean's amazing self portrait.

Having fun with flash en la noche.

2010-04-10T12:11:00.007-04:00

The 'pick your jaw up off the floor' ridiculous resort and our room.

2010-04-09T16:59:00.004-04:00

Couldn't stop laughing when we saw the lovebird towel swans.

Instead of one giant monster hotel, the resort has several two-story bungalows built around a courtyard. Loved that so much.

More from Cuba...

2010-04-09T16:37:00.004-04:00

RIP Skyservice (aka Air Sardine).

That kid was full of beans.

I'm so excited and Jean has zero leg room.

Mmmmojito! Why waste any time?

Exploring the pueblo of Remedios, Cuba.

2010-04-05T11:49:00.002-04:00

I want to go back to my happy place.

2010-04-04T13:33:00.005-04:00

Cuba was incredible and oh so beautiful. We had a wonderful time and found it difficult to leave. The beaches were, in a word, wow! It's as though they were ours and ours alone. Paraíso.

Oh helloooo again.

2010-03-24T00:52:00.002-04:00

Wow, I haven't been here in a while. I blame my crazy Olympics fever (woooot Canada!!!), followed closely by Oscars fever (woooot Kathryn Bigelow!!!). Plus life and the farchy Farch blahs getting in the way. Why is it that the end of February and most of March (aka Farch) is always so busy? Not to mention depressing. Blurgh.

So in a few days I'm taking off for some serious fun in the sun in beautiful Cayo Ensenachos, Cuba! To say I'm excited is really an understatement. I'm hoping post some pics from there, in between all the swimming, snorkeling, cycling, reading, napping, drinking mojitos and smoking cigars. And I cannot wait to shoot.

Until I take my own, here are a couple images from the world wide web. Nope, not an ugly place at all.

FINALLY!!!

2010-02-22T15:23:00.009-05:00

Thrilled to hear that Kathryn Bigelow (love her!) took home the BAFTA for Best Director! Yessssss! The Hurt Locker also won Best Picture and Best Screenplay yesterday. A total of six awards. First female EVER to win a BAFTA in its 63 years of existence. All I can say is it's about effing time and suck on that James Cameron! Seriously, if he wins the Oscar I will vomit. The Hurt Locker was one of the best films I've seen in a while. So completely riveting and suspenseful. If you haven't seen it already, what are you waiting for? Now is the time for Kathryn to become the first female to take home the Oscar for Best Director. Best Picture would be sweet too. Enough of the boys club already. It's so old and boring.

Too cuuuuuuuuuute.

2010-02-17T16:47:00.005-05:00

A cat and her kitten play with a squirrel, which was rescued off the streets, in Envigado, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on February 16, 2010. Photo credit RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images.

The breastfeeding shot just kills me.

Not so much with the itch.

2010-02-15T11:12:00.005-05:00

As of today, we've been together for 7 years. Needless to say, I'm one lucky lady. And I got woken up with a flower delivery, full of gerberas (my fave) no less! Blissed out right now. Happy Anniversary babe! Time to celebrate!

Why aren't I eating this every week?

2010-02-10T00:08:00.002-05:00

Salade Niçoise with broiled salmon. Also known as YUM!!

If it sounds too good to be true...

2010-02-09T15:20:00.004-05:00

Look at that, it's February already! I took a bit of a break from the old blog but I'm slowly getting back into it.

Things like this help:

**From Apartment Therapy**
The new PIC-1000 will work with the old Polaroid Color 600 Instant Film. The new model comes in metallic plastic or a retro wooden finish, and features a self-timer, flash and even red-eye reduction. Thanks to The Impossible Project consumers will be able to buy new film for these new Polaroid cameras. Units are expected to hit stores this year so be on the lookout.
***
HOWEVER...there seems to be a delay.
Nooooooooooooo.
I'll be waiting with bated breath until March 22nd for further details.

From The Impossible Project site (which should be spell checked):

DELAY
It is not for nothing that Alexander was called the Great, Ivan the Terrible and our Project the Impossible. Bringing back Instant Film and saving analog Instant Photography from extinction is not a breeze - it is rather like constantly scraping past an adventurous abyss and breaking down barriers.

The latter has currently to be done at our factory in Enschede, where an unexpected surprise of impossibility within production occured on the weekend of February 6th. This undesireable fact is now forcing us to reschedule our timetable - the NYC press event on 22nd February has to be postponed. The Project leader's Florian Kaps and André Bosman give themselves one more month to cope with the Impossible. On March 22nd 2010 they will disclose whether or not their Impossible Project will be possible.

Stay tuned.

Please Help Haiti. Every dollar counts.

2010-01-13T22:02:00.008-05:00

Photo Credits: REUTERS/Reuters TV

On Tuesday, Haiti experienced one of the deadliest earthquakes in the last century. Over 100,000 feared dead. People are in desperate need of medical attention, water, food and shelter. For up to date information click here. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Haiti and those awaiting to hear if their loved ones are ok.

How you can help:

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)

The Canadian Red Cross

Unicef Canada

The Humanitarian Coalition, which is a joint effort between Save the Children Canada, CARE, Oxfam Canada and Oxfam Quebec.

Plan Canada has been active in Haiti for 40 years.

Yéle Haiti was founded in 2005 by Wyclef Jean in an effort to permanently improve the lives of the most impoverished in his home country of Haiti.

Ve’ahavta: The Canadian Jewish Humanitarian and Relief Committee

Winter in the yard and lots of tiny tracks

2010-01-11T17:55:00.001-05:00

The Great Kiskadee

2010-01-09T13:24:00.005-05:00

Very happy to see The Great Kiskadee up and running again. Go check out amazing pics from his recent trip to Cuba. And then wish you could teleport to that beach right now.

Oh wait...right...it's 2010! Happy New Year!!

2010-01-07T18:22:00.008-05:00

Hope you welcomed the New Year with lots of love, laughter and a bang! I feel very optimistic, excited and energized. Bring it on! 2010 will be a banner year. I can feel it in my bones. Yessiree. So I'm raising my glass to the beautiful possibility of all that is to come. Cause baby, it's time! Here's to great health, happiness, adventure, success, love, compassion, justice and peace. And fun. Can't forget the fun.

Feliz Navidad...

2009-12-25T23:20:00.002-05:00

...to you and yours.

The hills are alive and I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.

2009-12-24T11:17:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve!

It's that time of year again!!! Eeeeep! I get to watch my top two Christmas movies of all time, The Sound of Music and White Christmas. They just don't make them like that any more. I saw (and happily squawked along to) The Sound of Music last week and had the most fun ever (thanks to Jenn and Jean, who can actually sing). It's been a long standing tradition in my family to watch White Christmas on Christmas Eve. So tonight it's all about Danny, Bing, Rosemary and Vera-Ellen. Oh yes indeed. Below are both trailers.

Dear Santa,

2009-12-24T11:09:00.005-05:00

These ornaments are so simple and so beautiful. Me like. Me want.

Eet, Regina Spektor

2009-12-16T10:31:00.002-05:00

Another Monday comes around again.

2009-11-30T22:46:00.002-05:00

Melancholy Mondays

2009-11-23T18:00:00.005-05:00

How could I forget...

2009-11-17T12:07:00.007-05:00

these two movies??? With the best trailers of the lot. They both look so intriguing.

A Single Man. Starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore!
Directed by Tom Ford who teams up with Mad Men's production designer Dan Bishop. So you know it's going to look goooood.

Comes out in December.

And Pedro Almodóvar's Broken Embraces. He's one of my favourite directors. With Penelope Cruz in the lead role...oh yes.

Also out in December.

To the movies!

2009-11-15T16:06:00.015-05:00

I've been sick all weekend so I'm filling my time reading, sleeping, sulking, drinking soooo much tea, watching movies and blockbuster movie trailers. Who doesn't like a good blockbuster every now and then? Here's what looks good to me.
*Double click on the video to view full screen*

Love Roald Dahl, love this book, love Wes Anderson and his humour, perspective, casting, set design..everything. I'm beyond excited for Fantastic Mr. Fox! It looks like such a work of art. The amount of time and detail that went into this film is incredible. There was a great article about Wes Anderson in The New Yorker a few weeks ago. Comes out soon, November 25!

I'm eagerly awaiting The Young Victoria. Emily Blunt is supposed to be astonishing in this role. December 18.

Sherlock Holmes looks funny and creepy at the same time. And who better to play him than Robert Downey Jr? December 25.

The Road looks less fun, but I still want to see it. Though I should probably read the book first. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for months. I've heard it is brilliant but depressing, seeing as it's about the end of the world and all. November 25.

Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp directed by the crazy genius that is Tim Burton....YES! March 2010.

And of course I will pay to see Salt, starring that very pretty lady whose name I can't quite remember. Summer 2010.

For something easy and funny there is It's Complicated. Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin...done and done. December 25.

Margarita Ice Cream you say?

2009-11-12T13:00:00.002-05:00

I can't wait to make this Margarita Ice Cream. Yum! Don't even need an ice cream maker to do it. That's the best part. And the tequila of course.
Love Nigella. And she wakes up looking so darn pretty too.
Imagine that.

Don't blush, but...

2009-11-10T21:57:00.009-05:00

sometimes i can't believe i found you
tucked away and waiting all along.
and that you love trails, trees, leaves,
rivers, critters, tall grasses
and those quiet spots for those quiet moments
as much as i do.

Kleinburg.

2009-11-09T21:35:00.007-05:00

Went for a lovely late afternoon hike in Kleinburg last weekend. The weather was unusually warm and it didn't feel like fall one bit. It made me happy and sad at the same time.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2009-10-31T19:02:00.004-04:00

For not having carved a pumpkin in years, I think we did pretty good.
Have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN everybody!

Sweet Crude

2009-10-29T11:51:00.003-04:00

The documentary Sweet Crude looks incredibly powerful. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

Sweet Crude is a documentary film about the Niger Delta of Nigeria -- the humanitarian and environmental devastation there in the wake of 50 years of unregulated oil extraction, the history of non-violent protest by Niger Deltans demanding control of their own resources and the emergence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
Want to get involved? Click here.

The Impossible Project ain't so impossible after all.

2009-10-26T14:02:00.002-04:00

Eeeeeeep!!! There are no words for the BIG BIG HAPPIES I am feeling right now. But I'll try to spurt some out. I've been waiting with bated breath for the return of Polaroid film for SX-70 instant cameras. And dare I say....it's coming back!! Mid 2010!!!

Thanks to The Impossible Project.

***from the website***

The Impossible Project inspires Polaroid to re-launch Instant Cameras
We are pleased to herewith announce a history making cooperation between Polaroid and The Impossible Project:

As we have created quite some buzz about Analog Instant Photography over the past 12 months, the Polaroid licensee - The Summit Global Group - now can't resist any longer and announced at a press conference on October 13th in Hongkong that they will re-launch some of the most famous Polaroid Instant Cameras.

Therefore they are commissioning The Impossible Project to develop and produce a limited edition of Polaroid branded Instant Films in the middle of 2010.

The Impossible Project is proud and excited that its ambitions and all the relentless work that has already been invested are now becoming the foundation for Polaroid's comeback as a producer of Instant Cameras.

Large-scale production and worldwide sale of The Impossible Project's new integral film materials under its own brand will already start in the beginning of 2010 - with a brand new and astonishing black and white Instant Film and the first colour films to follow in the course of the year.

amee king - portraits

2009-10-19T15:51:00.016-04:00

It's here! Please check out my new blog that is dedicated to bellies, babies and families. At the moment, I won't be posting regularly. It's more of a gallery space to share a selection of my portrait work.

Please pass it along if you know someone interested in booking a documentary portraiture session. Thanks!
www.ameeking.blogspot.com

Falling hard.

2009-10-17T01:59:00.013-04:00

Fall is my most favourite season. The crispness, the cozy, the colour, it's all so satisfying and makes me swoon. The colder weather doesn't seem to be deterring our garden in the least. It's the best feeling to be able to walk into the yard, midway through October, and see this:

Arugula is still going strong.

And the mizuna too!

I keep thinking about camping...

2009-10-09T13:51:00.007-04:00

and sad that it will be a whole other year before I get to go again. Where did summer go? Winter camping doesn't interest me in the least. But I've always wanted to do a late fall trip...
A few more pics from camping Labour Day weekend on Rain Lake in Algonquin. Seems like forever ago. Good times indeed.

This last photo kills me.

Nuit Blanche!

2009-10-04T10:44:00.010-04:00

Last night was Nuit Blanche in Toronto. I hung out in Zone C for a couple of hours and had fun strolling along with Jean and Gill. The free fleece blankets, hot chocolate and campfire sausage were a tasty treat on a damp night. My favourite installation was The Apology Project. Hearing a heartfelt, genuine 'I'm sorry' over and over again felt really really good. It was such a comforting art piece. I also loved Bicitycle. You couldn't help but laugh when you saw it. And what's not to like about Jamie Kennedy's homemade sausage!

Zone C: Urban Disaster/Catastrophe/Survival Actions.
Curated by Makiko Hara
Urban Disaster/Catastrophe/Survival Actions will address the universal human ability to accommodate and survive memories of war, disaster and catastrophe through strategic creative survival actions. The intent of the projects is not to examine the ongoing disaster of catastrophe, nor to manifest some socio-political message on the global situation of disaster. Rather, it proposes an unexpected temporal physical and intellectual territory where we can put ourselves into a flow of imagination - to question how we can creatively revitalize our life, regain a joy of living, and share the aspiration of renewal.

Gillian was the set up guru for this first installation. She worked so hard to pull it off. Well done woman!
Catastrophe Theory, 2009. Randy Gledhill and Berenicci Hershorn

Randy & Berenicci present a retrospective of their critically acclaimed video and installation works spanning the last two and a half decades of the 20th century that focuses on the concepts of catastrophe, ritual and rebirth. This will be the first compilation of an extraordinary body of work to be presented in the city in which it was created.

The Apology Project, 2009. Maria Legault

The Apology Project will be staged in its largest scale thus far. A cluster of 55 people wearing large brown paper bags on their bodies will congest a public hallway and personally apologize to every person who ventures through them. The uncanniness of this human blockade will disrupt the regular flow of traffic and provoke reflection about passive aggressive behavior. Who are these people? Why are they here? Why are they wearing brown paper bags over their bodies? There is an enigma about what precisely they are sorry for and why they are choosing to continue doing something that they find reproachable. If it is their awkward presence in the space that they are apologizing for, why do they chose to remain there? Why not just stop an offensive behavior rather than continue to indulge in it and apologize?
In the context of Nuit Blanche, endurance will become a significant component of the work as these people will be standing in brown paper bags and apologizing for 12 hours. Time will become a device that at once tests the physical limits of the performers and also testifies to their will to be obnoxious and continue to maintain a disruptive posture even though they are physically exhausted.

Surrounded in Tears, 2004 - 2009. Oswaldo Maciá

"Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts." Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, 1860.
The English Language has developed an extensive vocabulary to classify and understand the act of crying: weeping (associated with deep emotion) is very different to blubbering (colloquial, derogatory) or bawling (associated with children). Bypassing this mass of carefully nuanced and culturally specific linguistic signifiers, Colombian-Caribbean artist Oswaldo Maciá has turned to the semiotics of the raw material of crying itself. In collaboration with composer Michael Nyman and designer Jasper Morrison, Maciá has created a sound installation compiled of one hundred individual cries. Maciá's sources come from ethnographic and anthropological studies to informal sound-bites from everyday life - he asked midwives to record the screams of newborn babies. The work also includes Australian Aborigine death wails from the Torres Straight collected in 1898, the oldest known wax cylinder recordings of crying stored in the British Library. The work does not aim to rationalise crying but draws together personal and universal experience.

BICITYCLE (Bike City), 2009. Kyohei Sakaguchi

BICITYCLE (Bike-city) is a project about mobile life. Sakaguchi is inspired by the lifestyle, innovation and survival skills of homeless people in Japan. His research focuses on two concepts; mobility and recycling. The houses of the homeless are easy to dismantle and remake because people are forced to move their houses. They separate the infrastructures: water, gas, toilet, and electricity. The houses are made from the scraps of the city, as they understand the materials of urban waste are natural resources. Sakaguchi undertakes this concept further through incorporating used bicycles as a survival action for the city. For Nuit Blanche, the artist will create 11 mobile housing units, each attached to a bicycle. The audience can interact and relocate the works within the area.

FIRE AND SAUSAGE: Small Mercies, 2009. Tom Dean

The fires and the Liberty district's remove, the trace of the feral, suggest the aftermath of a collapse, a catastrophe or apocalypse. But what the artist is interested in is the calm after a fall, when we count our mercies and shared the surplus. An economic collapse that has returned us to essentials, warmth and food and social generosity. FIRE AND SAUSAGE: Small Mercies is a social sculpture. It engages and arranges people. Participants congregate around a fire, a cooking station, clustered radially around food and fire. The form remains, enlarging and diminishing, a stable form centered around food and fire. All the complexity and richness and pathos of a social cluster, strangers and friends with some common purpose and focal point, a clustered audience before a spectacle and themselves a spectacle, figures joining and departing the cluster and flowing from one site to another. After the fall, a hobo utopio. With sausage and hot chocolate by Jamie Kennedy, piano by Hank Bull, and poker by Jim Garrard.

Rescue Bubble, 2009. Tomer Diamant

As the humble foot soldiers of disposable infrastructure, traffic pylons solicit an indifferent compliance in our daily navigations of the city. Here however, hundreds are amassed into a single glowing beacon of urgent concern. On the verge of massive stimulus spending, governments are heralding fast-track infrastructure investment as the panacea for current economic woes. Speculative conditions that emerge under such massive spending can stifle rather than foster creative change. With schedules compressed to feed a shovel-ready hunger, unsustainable models can be entrenched rather than challenged. This installation represents an attempt to link imagery from the world of Sci-Fi; that of the solitary, ominous alien vanguard with our current speculative economic reality in order to crystallize a feeling of a looming presence; a foreign, spore-like organism at once familiar and foreign, promising and dangerous. Has the Rescue Bubble emerged to save our world or devour us all?

Seriously.

2009-09-25T14:52:00.003-04:00

Could Izara be ANY cuter? I had to keep taking breaks during out shoot just so I could selfishly gobble up her goodness and shower her with kisses. She is absolutely delicious. And now I've got babies on the brain....

Meet Izara.

2009-09-25T14:44:00.002-04:00

This is all you need to know: Izara is three months old, she's ADORABLE, expressive and smells really good, and I have the pleasure of living next door to her. Oh, and she LOVES the camera.

Time for Maru the cat!

2009-09-25T00:08:00.004-04:00

I seriously wish I had this cat. I never get tired of him.

Laughing With

2009-09-24T10:35:00.005-04:00

Regina Spektor has such a dreamy voice. I really love this song. It breaks my heart a little bit.

Quail eggs anybody?

2009-09-21T23:23:00.003-04:00

Look at what my mister done and cooked up for me for brunch last week. I darned near fell off my chair from the sheer precious beauty of it.

The German people cheated.

2009-09-18T14:04:00.007-04:00

I love this kid so much. Check out her spin on World War 2..er..3. One of my favourite quotes, "And then the Egyptians died cuz all of the sun was making them so hot."
Happy Friday!

I prefer my beach days like my ladies, HOT.

2009-09-17T14:22:00.007-04:00

Nothing like a gorgeous day at the beach with my gagagagorgeous girlfriends, Gillian and Jenn. Playing frisbee in the waves with you gals was too much fun. Why is summer ending already??

Gourmet cooking, camping style.

2009-09-10T11:25:00.014-04:00

Does this group know how to eat on a camping trip or what?

Crazy delicious chicken enchiladas with guacamole and sour cream.

Fry those puppies up.

Fried eggs with enchilada sauce, maple beans and rye toast. (Bacon not pictured).

Mmmm....spicy Italian sausage.

Roasting red peppers and red onions.

Is it ready yet?

Tortiglioni with red wine tomato sauce, spicy sausage, roasted red peppers and onions.

Cookin' up the pancakes and sausage.

Blueberry, nectarine & apple pancakes, veggie sausage with maple glaze and fruit.

Getting the potatoes, garlic, shallots and herbs ready for the hot coals.

Vegetarian chipotle chili, roasted potatoes and grilled pita with melted aged cheddar.

Lattes with a splash of scotch to get the morning started right.

Kyle's amazing and oh so delicious Bannock Bread!

Huevos!

Getting the zucchini and onions nice and ready for the scramble.

The scramble begins!

S'mores!

More s'mores gooey goodness.

Labour Day weekend done right.

2009-09-09T12:29:00.015-04:00

This past long weekend couldn't have been more perfect. It was ah-mazing. 3 canoes, 3 tents and 3 couples for 3 nights and 4 days of backcountry camping on beautiful Rain Lake in Algonquin Park. We scored a killer campsite on a point that spoiled us with sunshine all day and incredible views of the lake. The weather was divine, we swam everyday, paddled to a private sandy beach, played frisbee, ate delicious meals (food porn pics will definitely be posted), enjoyed the lack of bugs, loon calls and each other's company and cracked a whole lotta jokes. Thanks gals and guys, for such an unforgettable weekend.

We've got tomatoes coming out the wazoo.

2009-08-29T17:00:00.008-04:00

Check out the garden haul I got the other day. So naturally, huevos rancheros were in order. My favourite! Jean made this amazing roasted corn salsa to go with them. Crazy good. Next up: chili, gazpacho, tomato sauce and spicy tomato jam.

Chipping away at all the zucchini.

2009-08-21T00:12:00.010-04:00

The other day I made zucchini fritters for the first time. It's my Oma's recipe and they turned out super tasty. I made a chipotle apple sauce to go with them. I served them on my new lovely plates from Ange, Ray, Hannah and Ella. I wore my new cherry apron from my sister which I loooove and my new purple heels. I secretly love cooking in heels, is that wrong?

How cute is Oma?

I heart Hanlan's Point.

2009-08-20T12:59:00.012-04:00

A day at the beach can turn any frown upside down. Especially when the company is golden, the picnic is perfect, the sun is shining and the water is warm. Yesterday was just what the doctor ordered, for both of us. Brilliant spontaneous idea Jenn. Thank you. And by the way, your lake hair could be in commercials.

Meet Big Bear

2009-08-20T00:25:00.002-04:00

This is pretty much the funniest thing I've seen in a while. It must hang above the mantle. My friend Mark is the genius behind it. Jean rocks the bear suit non?

You're broke? Come again now?

2009-08-19T00:09:00.001-04:00

I recently watched Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens for another time. Really great film. She is such an iconic photographer with an extensive body of work and a career spanning over 40 years. And now Leibovitz is $24 million in debt. It's hard to believe actually.

Fascinating article in New York Magazine here.

Relishing the role of Auntie.

2009-08-18T19:08:00.008-04:00

Marcus & Olivia came for a visit recently. There was dancing, picture taking, kissing, hugging and lots of laughing. They are so much fun to be around and I love being their Auntie.

Thinking of you. Always.

2009-08-17T10:52:00.016-04:00

Jean's dad, André, would have been 80 today. My heart hurts.

I'm posting some pictures of André's incredibly beautiful and peaceful garden and yard in Ancaster. His garden was a true inspiration to me, and still is. These were taken close to three years ago. I see him in every one of these images. In every sun flare, every bit of dappled light, every blade of grass, every soft petal and each and every speck of earth. And when Jean and I are working in our garden, we can feel him. It is so comforting. We miss you and love you André. So very much.

Angela, thank you so much for introducing me to this poem. It resonates with me too.

Fern Hill
By: Dylan Thomas

Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house
and happy as the grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.

And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and
cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.

All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was
air
And playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the
nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark.

And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all
Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again
And the sun grew round that very day.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple light
In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking
warm
Out of the whinnying green stable
On to the fields of praise.

And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house
Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,
In the sun born over and over,
I ran my heedless ways,
My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows
In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace.

Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would
take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

Makin' groceries.

2009-08-17T10:35:00.002-04:00

It's so fun, not to mention satisfying, to see what's popping up each and every day in the garden. It's the best way to make groceries, as they say in Louisiana. What am I going to do come winter???

Ahhh shallots. My absolute favourite in the onion family.

Little pepper that packs a punch.

Spicy flavour, decorative colour, what's not to love about nasturtiums?

Sweet like candy.

I like to eat these like apples with just a sprinkle of kosher salt.

Not quite ready, but soon my precious.

New crop of arugula growing!

More zucchini.

Mmmm flat leaf parsley.

Beautiful basil.

Here I come Lucinda!

2009-08-16T10:57:00.004-04:00

Lucinda Williams is playing the Queen Elizabeth Theater in Toronto in October! And I'm going with my friends!

She announced a series of special performances to celebrate her 30th anniversary as a recording artist. I love her music, I love her voice, I love her lyrics and I love that she supports Amnesty International. I can't wait to see her live.

Katherine Wolkoff

2009-08-15T14:41:00.007-04:00

I'm also in love with the Deerbeds series by Katherine Wolkoff.

Deerbed, 2007. Copyright Katherine Wolkoff

Deerbed, 2007. Copyright Katherine Wolkoff

Deerbed, 2007. Copyright Katherine Wolkoff

Deerbed, 2007. Copyright Katherine Wolkoff

Deerbed, 2007. Copyright Katherine Wolkoff

Grant Willing

2009-08-15T14:17:00.007-04:00

I went camping in Algonquin a few weeks ago. It was lovely and I'll post some photos down the road. Going camping reminded me of the work of Grant Willing. I've been looking at it lately and I like it very much.

Copyright Grant Willing

Copyright Grant Willing

Copyright Grant Willing

Copyright Grant Willing

Copyright Grant Willing

Simple summer dinner.

2009-08-14T18:16:00.011-04:00

Yesterday for lunch I had the yummiest open faced sandwich. Tomatoes, shallots, basil (all from the garden I might add), with smoked applewood cheddar on toasted German rye bread. Delicious AND pretty. To wash it down, a michelada. I can't stop thinking about it so I'm having this again for dinner tonight because it's too darn hot to cook and I've got tomato sandwiches on the brain.

You can dooooo it.

2009-08-14T17:16:00.005-04:00

And while I'm at it, if you haven't seen this by now, you're in for a treat.
Enjoy some of this Instant Happy.

Good song too! Bruises, by the band Chairlift.

How could you not love this squirrel face??

2009-08-14T17:01:00.006-04:00

I saw this picture yesterday and squealed. Pretty darn cute. A few people have sent it to me so I thought I'd jump on the old bandwagon and post it.

The original Crasher Squirrel photo was taken by Melissa and Jackson Brandts in Banff in late May. The image of the squirrel has gone viral since it appeared on the National Geographic's website on Aug. 7.

You can read the article here.

Glass half full.

2009-08-14T11:50:00.013-04:00

One good thing about the five week city strike was the fact that the Island ferry was closed. The only way to get to there was by water taxi and not too many people knew about it. We took our bikes, a delicious picnic (sadly no food porn, it was gobbled up and I forgot to snap pics), beer, wine, whiffle ball, frisbee, backgammon and left the stinkin' city behind. Being on the Island in summer when NO ONE else is around was pretty darn close to magical. Yup, 'twas bliss.

Bikes.

Goodbye city.

Bike gang.

Colleen owning The Elegante.

Our favourite spot...empty!

Clouds.

Clouds clearing.

Love.

Intense love.

Girl love.

Whiffle.

Frisbee.

Losing.

Hey! SUN!

Swim/Freeze your balls off.

Hot.

Csquared.

Hand holding.

Art.

Zoom in.

Zoom out.

Nature.

Thank You O Beautious Island!!

And they just don't stop growing.

2009-08-12T18:50:00.006-04:00

The row of sunflowers is definitely going strong. We decided to plant orange and red ones instead of the traditional yellow, just to change it up a bit. I love them! And recently they started attracting beautiful gold finches who hang upside down and eat the seeds. Finally, something other than sparrows and robins in our yard.

Just when I think the sunflowers are done growing, they bolt up another several inches. They are definitely taller than me now...take a look.

Meet Irwin. In a word...CUUUUUUUTE.

2009-08-11T15:53:00.011-04:00

Cute dog. Cute name. Cute legs. Cute bum. Cute eyes. Cute ears. Cute everything.

My landlord's brother has the yummiest dog, Irwin. Sometimes he has sleepovers at his auntie's house. Which means I'm the lucky lady living downstairs who gets to visit/borrow him and shower him with love. He reminds me of another super cute and amazing dog, Face.

He's even cute when he's peeing on the arugula.

Kisses kisses kisses.

This is back in Oaxaca when we first rescued Face. She's around five weeks old here. Her and Irwin could be siblings.

Seriously! Awwwww.

Then she got bigger, stronger, and...er....crazier. But we loved her just the same, bite marks, scratches, ripped clothes and all.

We recently got an update about Face. She's doing really well and living happily in a village in the Oaxacan mountains with the vet's sister and her family. A happy ending indeed.

Having sooo much fun growing from the ground.

2009-08-11T13:58:00.006-04:00

The fruits of our labour have arrived!

Zucchini the size of my head! Thankfully my mom has an amazing zucchini chocolate cake recipe. Better start baking.

Delicious squash blossom flowers that we use in frittatas, quesadillas and pastas. Mmm! But beware, they turn into above mondo zucchini if not picked sooner.

Our first Taxi Heirloom!

Cherry tomatoes. So much flavour in such a small bite.

Cheers!

Did someone say Instant Happy?

2009-07-24T16:18:00.006-04:00

I'm behind in my blogging but I'm hoping to get up to date soooooon so please check back next week.

For now, I must share another Instant Happy video. I think it could be a regular thing...every Friday I'm going to post a video that is guaranteed to make you smile.

I wish I could have photographed this wedding. I'm sure it was a blast. How freaking fantastic is this couple? Love them. So much. Why be serious and traditional when you can be funny and original? More weddings (especially the ceremonies) need to be like this. And who doesn't love a dance routine?!

Happy Weekend!

Kittens! Inspired by kittens!

2009-07-17T17:49:00.003-04:00

I feel like it's time for some Instant Happy! Here's one of my favourite videos. I can't get enough of it. This girl and her commentary can right any wrong.

Happy Weekend!

I have a date tonight with a woman named Neko.

2009-07-14T17:43:00.005-04:00

EEEEEP!!! It's Neko Case tonight! At Massey Hall no less. And great floor seats! I cannot wait.

I'm still riding high from the incredible and magical experience that was Oumou Sangare on Sunday night in Queen's Park. Wow wow wow.

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of seeing Beirut perform live. That was such a solid show with the longest encore set I've ever experienced. Love them.

And now it's finally time to see Neko Case. Again I say, EEEEEP!
Happy Tuesday indeed.

Here's the acoustic version of one of my favourite tunes, People Got a Lotta Nerve.

Oumou Sangare

2009-07-12T11:45:00.008-04:00

I'm so happy my friend Colin turned me onto Oumou Sangare. She's a Malian superstar with a beautiful, joyful, confident voice. Seya (which means Joy) is her latest album and I find I'm listening to it almost daily. Read more about it and listen to the wonderful song Iyo Djeli here. Needless to say, I am very excited to see her perform tonight in Queen's Park as part of Afrofest, the largest annual African music event in Canada. And it's a free concert!

Enjoying a warm, summer evening, hanging out with friends and listening to incredible, inspirational music, can my Sunday be any sweeter?

Take a look:

Copyright Ed Alcock

MMMetric

2009-07-04T01:37:00.003-04:00

Metric is such a great band. They've been on heavy rotation as of late.

Love Emily Haines. Love this song. Makes me want to have a dance party of one.

And listen to this. Wow. Her voice breaks my heart. Love the close-up camera work too.

Have I missed Palin? You Betcha!

2009-07-03T23:33:00.006-04:00

Yes sir ree Bob I've missed her! The way she speaks in one giant run on sentence. How she can ramble on for so very, very long and at the end of it we're still left wondering: what the *@#% is she talking about? And how she loves saying things like (and this is word for word): "So I choose for my State and for my family more freedom to progress all the way around so that Alaska may progress I will not seek reelection as Governor."

That's just one gem! There are more! So. Many. Gems.

I say instead of fearing her, embrace her. Because when she does run in 2012 then Obama is guaranteed a second term. It's in the bag. We should really all be thanking her now for making it so easy on him down the road.

Happy weekend!

Also, this is my favourite part of the whole thing. The camera pans over to this arm folding family for an awkward period of time. I love them. So white and blonde.

Happy Canada Day!

2009-07-01T11:44:00.003-04:00

The article below is taken from the July/Aug 2009 issue of The Walrus Magazine.

Photo: Niagara Falls, 1840
How academics found the first photograph to be taken in Canada
by: The Walrus

Image courtesy Robinson Library, Special Collections, Newcastle University, with thanks to Robin Anderson.

This image of Niagara Falls (above) was discovered twelve years ago in a box at Newcastle University in England. The box, marked “Daguerrotypes,” had been languishing on a shelf in Special Collections since 1926, when it was given to the library by descendants of British industrialist Hugh Lee Pattinson. Then a student of the early form of photography just perfected by Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre, Pattinson was in Canada on a business trip when he stopped at the Falls to practice his technique. It took more than twenty minutes for the scene to afx on the silver-coated copper plate inside his camera; afterward, he would envelop the plate in warm mercury fumes, slowly drawing the image to the surface. It must have been thrilling, but no more so than when, a century and half later, historians learned what had been unearthed at Newcastle: the frst photograph ever taken in Canada.

I became a mother...for two days.

2009-06-30T15:35:00.014-04:00

Meet Baby!

Last Friday, I had the pleasure (and panic) of becoming a Mama Robin for two days. I found a helpless, hungry, motherless fledgling robin in the yard chirping up a storm. He wasn't scared of me at all and we bonded immediately. He followed me around and even let me feed him. Poor guy was starving and so weak. I dug up a few worms, mashed them up, put them on my finger and dropped them in his wide open mouth. Cuuuute. I also fed him some wet pieces of bread, which he gobbled up quickly. Turns out, you're not supposed to feed them worms or bread...whoops. Their digestive systems can't handle it. Dry cat or dog food mixed with water until it turns into the consistency of yogurt is the way to go. What would we do without the internet and chat rooms? I also learned that it's a myth that humans shouldn't handle birds. They don't have noses, so the idea of birds rejecting their young because they have a human scent on them is completely false.

I spoke with the Toronto Wildlife Centre and they directed me to Dianne, a woman who lives in Stayner (2 hours north of Toronto, close to Collingwood) who rescues and rehabilitates baby birds, raccoons, possums, and yes...even squirrels! The Wildlife Centre has a limit of how many baby birds they accept because they don't have the manpower to look after them. During the spring months, they are inundated with calls about abandoned baby birds. So I had two options, drive to Stayner or have the bird euthanized. Obviously it wasn't a difficult choice.

It's true, baby robins are A LOT of work. They require feeding every half hour to an hour for the first couple weeks!! Thankfully not at night though. Baby (my very original name for him) slept in our bedroom, in a box filled with paper towel and a towel in the shape of a doughnut to act as a nest. I put a heating pad under the box so he would be warm enough too. Best sleepover ever, though the little bugger woke up at 5:30am...and the feeding cycle started again.

But Baby was looking so much stronger and healthier the next morning. It was night and day actually. He was much more alert and even tried to fly a bit, though it was more of a hop fly. And still so hungry. The whole 'eats like a bird' expression, completely false. They eat. A lot.

Saturday afternoon Jean and I drove Baby up to Stayner to meet his new mama, Dianne. What an incredible woman she is, a total Godsend. She is the only one doing this kind of rescue and rehabilitation, because "you have to be crazy to do all this work for free," she says. Dianne doesn't get paid or have help and relies heavily on donations. And trust me, it is SO MUCH WORK to take care of baby birds, let alone coons (she currently has 20 babies), possums, skunks, squirrels...etc.

If you'd like to make a donation then please get in touch with me. Any amount helps! Thanks so much!

Baby will be released in two weeks and will go on to live as a country bird. Until then, he'll be chumming around with another baby robin that Dianne rescued a few days ago. They're the same age and everything. Love it.

Here are some...ok, A LOT of photos of my Baby. And yes, I miss him very much.

This is how I found him. Not alert and very lethargic. Couldn't very well turn my back on this now could I?

So very hungry.

Feeding time. One of many.

Bath time.

Nap time.

A little grumpy.

More food now please.

Food! And head stroking.

Time for bed.

Saying my goodbyes to Baby.

To the beautiful country! Where Baby will now live out his happy life.

The garden grows!

2009-06-26T11:39:00.005-04:00

Well our little garden isn't so little anymore. All this rain has made it explode into abundance. These shots were taken a couple weeks ago and it's even bigger now. The tomatoes are really going strong, as are the sunflowers, climbing sweet peas, herbs and squash. Pics of those to come next week. For now, it's all about the arugula, spinach and pretty flowers.

Arugula!

Spinach!

RIP to our beloved Black Locust Tree. Sob. Our landlords had it planted last fall and we all waited patiently to see what it would do come Spring. Well, just when we thought she hadn't made it through the winter, she started growing cute little leaves and we all rejoiced! And then she bloomed beautiful, white, sweet smelling flowers that wafted through the air and into our house. So sweet in fact, that a big fat coon thought the flowers were fruit and decided one night to climb it and investigate. Well his fat ass snapped our tree in half and we awoke the next morning, in horror, to find the top half, blooms and all, lying on the grass. Devastating. Surprisingly, the bottom half continues to flourish. That Black Locust..she's a fighter! So we'll see what happens and if she doesn't thrive, then another tree will be planted in the fall.

Here she is, in all her glory. Jean took the beautiful macro shots.

Michael Jackson: 1958 - 2009

2009-06-26T10:11:00.009-04:00

I'm still in shock that MJ is gone. Like millions of others, I grew up with his music. My sister introduced me to The Jackson 5 and Michael (thanks Steph!) when I was a very little person. Billie Jean, I Want You Back, ABC, The Way You Make Me Feel, Thriller (amazing how that video still creeps me out), Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Bad and the list goes on. There were routines with friends, lip syncs, mixed tapes and many failed attempts to moonwalk. The Jackson 5 will always remind me of summers at my cottage and Michael Jackson will always remind me of being young and thinking I had the coolest sister in the whole world who listened to the coolest music. I remember staring at his poster on Steph's bedroom wall and thinking wow, that guy is awesome. Found a picture online of that exact poster..oh the eighties.

Say what you want about him but let's remember that Michael Jackson was a musical genius and universally inspiring. King of Pop indeed.

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with."
- Michael Jackson

Highlights from CONTACT '09

2009-05-30T15:01:00.016-04:00

I can't believe the month of May is coming to a close. CONTACT was quite strong this year and I found myself inspired by so many photographers and cleverly curated exhibitions.

A few standouts for me:

Jeff Harris at Allan Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place.
What a talent Jeff is. His show was incredible and a total celebration of life. He has so many amazing images that it's hard to select just a few, so here's a bunch of them.

copyright Jeff Harris

copyright Jeff Harris

copyright Jeff Harris

copyright Jeff Harris

copyright Jeff Harris

copyright Jeff Harris

copyright Jeff Harris

From the Contact website:
In the grand atrium of Brookfield Place, this exhibition’s massive grid of images celebrates a ten-year milestone in Jeff Harris’s personal photo project. Since January 1, 1999, Harris has made at least one photograph of himself every day. Soon after, he started posting them on the internet. Harris’ project anticipates the current obsession taken up by millions of people to document and make public every aspect of their lives on Facebook, Flickr and similar sites. Harris’ photographs are selfportraits in the broadest definition of the term. Sometimes the images contain only the barest trace of the subject – the artist’s feet, shadow or his reflection on a table – and as often as not the portraits of Harris have been taken by other people (the artist frequently has celebrities he happens to encounter take his picture – Gene Simmons, Michael Moore, Leslie Feist). Seen together, the 3,653 images provide an evocative portrayal of how Harris’ life plays out, day after day. Whether the social media giants will continue to flourish remains to be seen; meanwhile, Jeff Harris’ website has a huge following and he plans to keep on shooting.

Hank Willis Thomas at Georgia Sherman Projects
Totally amazing!! Due to its strong response, the show has been extended until June 20. Go see it! That's all I can say.

copyright Hank Willis Thomas

copyright Hank Willis Thomas

copyright Hank Willis Thomas

From the Contact website:
Sourced from an evolving mass of iconic images of corporate American advertising, Thomas’ work explores the genesis of the still image in the creation of cultural identity. Advertising and branding has disconnected the public from cultural reality and has produced a new visual vocabulary that defines our relationship to objects. Perhaps the concept that “the medium is the message” has never been better exemplified than in how advertising and branding have shaped issues of race, class and culture. These issues are vividly brought to light in Thomas’ re-appropriation of the past 50 years of corporate advertising depicting Black Americans.

Feature Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art.
The show runs until June 14.

copyright Martha Rosler

copyright Trevor Paglan

copyright Barbara Astman

From the Contact website:
Today, the proliferation of photographic technologies is laden with infinite possibilities for image production, reflecting our rapidly changing world and burgeoning global culture. Meanwhile, historical precedents in the medium continue to extend substantial influence. Still Revolution: Suspended in Time looks back to the revolutionary foundations of photography to explore the current innovations that continue to transform the medium. The exhibition presents eight Canadian and international artists whose photographs mirror a complex history marked by pervasive change. From documentary to abstraction, choreographed fact to constructed fiction, the works in this exhibition implicate photography’s catalytic role in social and political change. Suspending transitory moments in time, the evolving manifestations of photographic imagery overwhelmingly influence the way that we see the world today.

Alison Rossiter at Stephen Bulger Gallery.

copyright Alison Rossiter

copyright Alison Rossiter

copyright Alison Rossiter

From the Contact website:
Alison Rossiter has worked with the materials and processes of light-sensitive, gelatin silver-based photography since 1970. Her exhibition Lament pays homage to the disappearing materials of analogue photography, as the global shift from photochemical processing gives rise to digitization. Rossiter’s luminous images rely on the intrinsic qualities of expired photographic papers from throughout the 20th century that are now part of our history. Processing these papers, she reveals years of incidental exposure, moisture, humidity and physical disruption, resulting in a latent imagery that has been coaxed to life. This project would have been unimaginable just two decades ago when graded gelatin silver papers of every variety were still widely available. Transforming the medium that was once used to realistically document a fleeting moment, Rossiter abstractly depicts the passage of time.

Beverly Owens at Beverly Owens Gallery.

copyright Beverly Owens

From the Contact website:
Posing, posturing, a playful sense of presence and gravitas appear inherent to group photography. Owens’ contemporary photo/encaustic twist brings doubt to our understanding of group identity. Binary tensions between gender, sexuality and race melt and we ask ourselves: Can we really know our whereabouts, when standing within a group? Curated by Michelle Cox.

James Nizam at Birch Libralato.
The show runs until June 13.

copyright James Nizam

copyright James Nizam

copyright James Nizam

From the Contact website:
In his series Anteroom, James Nizam has turned the interiors of abandoned, soon-to-be-demolished homes into room-sized camerae obscurae. He achieves this by fitting a makeshift lens to a hole he made in a wall, or attached to a hole in garbage bags covering a window. He then photographs the results with a 35mm camera, creating chaotic-looking images that presage not only the photographed structures’ imminent destruction but also the tenuous future of analogue photography itself. Nizam’s work in this series suggests reasons for the pinhole camera’s increasing popularity: it’s a format that looks to the past as a way to consider the state of the medium today.

And of course, how could I not mention Michael Werner at one of my favourite places on Queen West for lattes and capuchinos, the White Squirrel Coffee Shop. The show runs until June 8. It's super cute!

copyright Michael Werner

From the Contact website:
First spotted on Queen Street West on the grounds of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a burgeoning population of white squirrels migrated east to Trinity-Bellwoods Park, where they have captured the hearts and imaginations of local residents, artists and businesspeople alike. Due to chronic health problems caused by their recessive albino gene, the population has dwindled from an estimated 25 – 30 to just two squirrels. Michael Werner’s photos document their existence and activities in the park. Curated by Michael Werner.

Last weekend to see my show!

2009-05-30T14:53:00.002-04:00

If you haven't already, please swing by The Gladstone Hotel to check out the group show I'm in as part of CONTACT.
It closes on Sunday at 5pm.
Thanks!

Exposed: Innovation, Transformation, Revolution
at The Gladstone Hotel.
May 8 - 31, 2009 - 12 - 5pm Daily - 2nd Floor

One for One

2009-05-26T13:43:00.007-04:00

I am the proud new owner of TOMS shoes. They are amazing and I'm recommending them to anyone and everyone. In fact, I'm going to buy a second pair that's how much I love them and the movement behind them.

For every pair of TOMS shoes purchased, a pair is given to a child in need. One for One. TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009. WOW!! How great is it to be able to buy a pair of shoes without any guilt? They are comfortable, affordable and stylish. And the fact that you are actually helping a child with your purchase makes me feel all warm inside. This is what business should be about. Giving back. The incredible guy who started it all, Blake Mycoskie, is truly inspirational. Read up about him here.

And, it even gets better. TOMS are made with 77% Hemp and 23% Recycled Plastic Bottles! They don't even come in a shoe box, just a canvas bag. Hemp is one of the strongest natural fibers in the world and grown easily without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It's also naturally anti-microbial, which I didn't know, so your feet can b r e a t h e and not get stinky. Very important in summer.

I bought mine from my most favourite shoe store in Toronto, Heel Boy for $55!

Check out this video and just try to resist buying a pair...or two:

I'm a sucker for animated music videos.

2009-05-13T21:49:00.004-04:00

Wow. This song and video...both incredible. Why haven't I come across it earlier?

Death Cab for Cutie, Grapevine Fires

The song is based on a true story from the California wildfires of 2008. Directed by Walter Robot and animated by Bill Barminski.

ameeking.com

2009-05-08T19:00:00.005-04:00

I'm so excited to announce that my website has launched!!!

HUGE thank you to Kyle for making it all happen and to Rhya for her help with the design. Love you both oodles!

Go check out: www.ameeking.com

Group show during CONTACT!

2009-04-29T23:12:00.009-04:00

I'm so excited to be part of this group exhibition during CONTACT photography festival. Come check it out!

Exposed: Innovation, Transformation, Revolution
at The Gladstone Hotel.
May 8 - 31, 2009 - 12 - 5pm Daily - 2nd Floor

Photo: Michael Krauss, Sea + Sky - One

Happy Bearthday!

2009-04-22T16:11:00.014-04:00

Not only is it Earth Day, but it's also Jean's birthday! Woooot! Here is just one of the reasons why he's sooo amazing and why I'm tickled pink he's in my life. Cause one day, he'll simply wake up and say, "let's build a bird feeder today." So we will! And it's just that easy and it's just that fun. He's pretty much the best partner a gal could ask for.

Feliz Cumpleaños mi amor. We're all better off for having you around.

The bird feeder is almost done! A few improvements and a painting job and she'll be good to go by this weekend. I'll post a photo of the finished product...hopefully with a bunch of birds around it.

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T15:24:00.012-04:00

I thought I would post some photos that remind me just how incredible our planet is. Take orchids for example. They are one of the most beautiful and fascinating flowering plants out there.

Last April, Jean and I (both long time orchid lovers) spent a while photographing orchids at a private botanical garden, La Encantada, in Huayapan, Oaxaca. Octavio Suárez has collected more than 700 orchids and his dedicated efforts protect approximately 90% of the species known in Mexico. Octavio is so passionate about orchids and it was inspiring to learn about them from him and explore the stunning world he has carefully created and conserved.

Phil Bergerson at Stephen Bulger

2009-04-16T11:11:00.004-04:00

I went to see Phil Bergerson's Sublime Encounters show at Stephen Bulger Gallery a few days ago and loved it. He was one of my photo profs at Ryerson and I'm always keen on checking out his work. His photos are captivating, curious and..well..sublime.

The show closes on Saturday, April 18 so hurry up!

Below is an excerpt from "Sublime Encounters" Press Release:

The gallery is pleased to announce our fifth exhibition by Canadian Phil Bergerson featuring his most recent work "Sublime Encounters".

Spanning the last fifteen years, Phil Bergerson has traveled extensively across the United States, photographing cities both small and large. His last series, "Shards of America," was an ironic commentary on the culture of the United States. It harnessed the best of documentary traditions, interweaving a selection of powerful themes to present a critical examination of America's rich social landscape. In his most recent body of work, "Sublime Encounters," Bergerson continues his investigations of cultural detritus of everyday life but with a more poetic approach. He is interested in exploring the complexities of what it is to be human with less emphasis on the American experience.

Bergerson's photographs are poignant records of the beauty of 'organic' installations, small moments created through a mixture of human intent, nature's intervention, time and his own curiosity. The photographs document that which people consciously and unconsciously leave behind - that which speaks about them as individuals. Often the residue of these elements is so subtle that detection is difficult. "Sublime Encounters" refers to the awe inspiring moments of recognition that a photographer experiences when contemplating sets of relationships that suddenly becomes deeply and clearly "seen". Bergerson's images transcend the viewer's vision of our urban landscape by presenting us with an original perspective that is consistently moving and entirely unforgettable.